Finding out your pregnant is so exciting (for most), but once the news has settled in, and your reading up on everything you need to get for your new arrival, it can be a daunting task.

As a self-confessed shopaholic, I couldn’t wait to get stuck in to buying new baby clothes, but once i started doing some research i realised, i needed to furnish a whole new room, there were gadgets for everything, from breast pumps to nappy bins, to a nasal aspirator. Where did I start?

Once I had got some advice, from other mums, my own mum and the midwife I made a list of the priority items we needed. However to create this list you still have to answer some questions.

How are you going to get the baby around, will you use a pram or sling? do you need a carseat? or two?

Where will the baby going to sleep?

Are you going to breastfeed?

I decided we needed some help, so where better to go than The Baby Show – the biggest national baby event, it would have everything under one roof, and we could just take the challenge head on. This also suited my other half, as he could just do it all in one day.

The Baby Show has most of the top baby brands, but it also has smaller stalls for independent brands, which I found better for once you’ve had the baby as then tend to be clothing brands or gadgets you don’t really need till the baby is 6-months+.

The bigger brands will have plenty of offers on the larger items such as your travel system, your nursery furniture. For example we got our Mamas + Papas travel system (pram base, with buggy top, car seat and isofix base) at 30% less than the RRP.

I did my research prior to going, otherwise it can be totally overwhelming due to the volume of exhibitors, and the range of products offered – plus many are the same, so you get bombarded with sales jargon.

4. Never take first price, always try and negotiate – luckily my husband is in sales, so he was a pro

5. I would recommend going in your second trimester, as it is a long day, and can be exhausting if you’re late in your 2nd or 3rd trimester

6. Take your mum if you can. I took mine, and she was great at preventing us from buying gadgets that we just didn’t need – we were getting drawn in by lots of sales people!

7. If it’s your first baby, and you do know the gender, be careful not to buy anything that you couldn’t use if you’re planning a second. You don’t want to spend £,000’s on pink furniture or pram, and then have a boy second time around

8. If you really want some bargains, go on the last day. Sometimes they will sell off stock they have there, or they will be desperate to meet a sales target, so you can negotiate.

9. If you do buy larger items, make sure you aren’t expected to carry them around for the rest of the show.

10.Take water and snacks if you can, as it is super expensive, and also the queues are long, and seats few and far between

My best buys:

Medela: This is an american brand of breast pump and bottles – focused on going from breastfeeding to bottle feeding. It is now stocked in the UK so much easier to buy, but their discounts are amazing. I got most of my kit at 50% off, and since it has been used by me, two friends, and i am getting ready to use it again (with new bottles and teets obviously)

Snufflebabe Nasal Aspirator: I had never heard of this one, but it was a godsend – this is used to clear a baby’s nose if they have a cold, or are bunged up

Nappy Bin: You can usually get them 50% off at the show – this is an essential!

Travel system: If you know which system you want, you can go in and negotiate off the RRP. I had it narrowed down to two options, and we went and tried each one. Looking at how it collapsed down, could I manage it alone and would it go in the car easily, and most importantly how much room was there for my shopping! Always make sure you get a cup-holder – I didn’t with my first one, and as coffee is staple to a new-mums diet, trying to push a buggy one-handed is no easy task.

Nursery Furniture: I got a Mothercare nursery set, at roughly 35% off. You order and pay a deposit, and then it is delivered 6 weeks before your baby arrives. This is something you could order once the baby is here, as you don’t actually use the cot till they’re 6 weeks +, but the deal was too good.